


Shatter Me

by DesertLily



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alice Cooper’s A+ Parenting, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Emotional Abuse, FP is trying to be a good dad, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, Southside Serpents as a family, domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 07:02:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20578424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily/pseuds/DesertLily
Summary: Alice Cooper’s emotional abuse and manipulation get too much for Betty and she breaks down outside Jughead’s trailer.





	Shatter Me

**Author's Note:**

> The Serpents are probably really OOC in this but c’est la vie. Title taken from the Lindsey Stirling song of the same name

It had been a good night. Possibly one of the best Betty had had in a long time. Hell, the day before had been near perfect too. Like all her best days, it had been spent with Jughead. But this had been far more a day about him than it was about her. He’d introduced her even more to the Southside and his new type of life. More specifically, he’d introduced her properly to his friends in the Serpents. They...hadn’t been as bad as she was expecting. In fact, they were surprisingly civil. Even if Sweet Pea had somewhat intimidated her. It helped that she was already friends with Joaquin through his relationship with Kevin. The day had been calmer than expected as Jughead let his girlfriend and his friends truly get to know each other. It had gone better than any of them could have ever expected. It truly was the calm before the storm.

After that came dinner with Jughead and his dad, and by that Betty meant FP went out and got them takeout from Pop’s. In all honesty, it was the closest to a family dinner she’d had in a long time. It was a dinner with people who seemed to genuinely care about her. There was no one there to criticise her every move and how much she ate. They were just people who enjoyed her company. It was in all honesty refreshing. It was a relief to have at least one day without Alice Cooper. FP had told her about how he was considering retiring from the Serpents to be a better dad to Jug. It had been sweet but Betty couldn’t help the jealousy that stirred inside her. She couldn’t help but wish she had parents who put her first and did everything to embrace who she was. Instead she was left with ones who wanted her to live a lie as the perfect girl next door. It was what she was growing to like about the Southside. No one was expecting her to be someone she wasn’t. Then the night had ended in true perfect as she fell asleep in Jughead’s arms on the trailer’s couch.

The illusion of perfection was shattered the next morning by the erratic banging on the trailer door. A quiet groan escaped Betty as she reluctantly opened her eyes. From the way he buried his face in to her shoulder, it seemed Jughead shared her same irritation at being woken up. Though it wasn’t either of them who answered the door, it was FP who had clearly been up much longer than the couple. Though, he didn’t even get the chance to speak before a voice Betty had been dreading hearing spoke out. “I need to speak to my daughter.”

“Alice, can’t you do this later? The girl’s sleeping for crying out loud!” Betty couldn’t help but smile at that as she listened to FP try to cover for her. It was very much appreciated and she made a mental note to tell him so when she got the chance. But Betty knew she had to face the music sooner or later.

“Mr Jones, it’s fine.” Betty very reluctantly untangled herself from Jughead’s arms and moved towards the front of the trailer, pushing past FP to stand facing her mother on the small porch outside. She knew she looked like her mother’s worst nightmare with her hair tangled and clothes crumpled from sleeping on the couch. She looked nothing like the perfect girl her mother expected her to be twenty-four seven. “What’s wrong, mom? Why are you here?” It would take a lot to drag Alice to the Southside.

Instead of offering a reaction, Alice simply grabbed her daughter’s arm and began to drag her towards her car. Still half asleep, Betty stumbled after her. “We are going to be having words, young lady. I can’t believe your absolute recklessness!” Here it came. The complimentary scolding and being put down that came as a side effect of being Alice Cooper’s daughter. And people still somehow wondered where her anxiety came from. It was expected by now but it didn’t hurt her any less. The only difference now from any other time was that now they had an audience. A very cautious audience of Serpents. The loud knocking and the approach of an unknown vehicle - not to mention the realisation that Alice Cooper was back on the Southside was enough to draw Serpents from the woodworks as a few crept out of their trailers to watch the chaos. Betty briefly caught sight of Toni and Fangs, followed closely by Sweet Pea and Joaquin. She was quick to look away, though. Not wanting to anger her mother further. “It’s bad enough you’re dating FP’s son! But getting caught up with the Serpents and the Southside? I thought you were better than this, Elizabeth! You have your whole future ahead of you and you’re going to throw it all away for some...some trailer trash snake!”

“Mom, please...You’re making a scene.” Betty whispered, not even daring to look around anymore. Her anxiety was building by the second. Why did her mother have to do this here? God, they were going to think she was pathetic for not retorting or fighting back. They were going to think she was weak. Maybe...maybe she was weak if she couldn’t handle the words of her own mother. Maybe Alice was right in being ashamed of her. “Can we do this at home? Please?”

It was a cry that seemed to fall on deaf ears. Instead of receiving her mother’s mercy, she received her mother’s rage. The slap Alice Cooper delivered to her daughter was hard enough to knock Betty off of her feet, leaving a bright red handprint on her face. Clutching at her face, the blonde stared up at her mother with fear in her eyes. “You listen to me, Elizabeth Cooper. You are going to do something right for once and you are going to stay away from here. You are not going to waste your life around her anymore than you already have. You’re going to listen to me.” With that Alice moved to yank her daughter to her feet only to be stopped when someone grabbed her arm.

“That’s enough, Alice.” FP’s voice rang out in the unnervingly silent trailer park. No other person dared make a sound. Not when the Serpent King was speaking. “I think you should leave. Betty is staying here.” Alice went to respond but was quickly cut off. “I wasn’t asking you. I was telling you.”

The conversation after didn’t seem to reach Betty’s ears. All she could think about how much of a disappointment she must be. Her mother was ashamed by everything she did. She wasn’t good enough. She could never be good enough. Then now she just seemed like some weak and frightened girl in front of the same gang she had spent the previous day trying to impress. Were they going to hate her now? Was everything going to hate her? Was Jughead going to leave her? Too embarrassed by how weak she truly was? Betty curled up on the ground, overwhelmed by her own anxiety. It was too much. Everything was too much and she didn’t know how to fix it. She shouldn’t have come her to begin with. She should have stayed on the Northside. She should have been good. Losing herself to her own thoughts, Betty hardly noticed when someone gently moved to scope her up and take her inside. All she was aware of was the growing feeing of inadequacy and her own rapid sobs. There was nothing else that mattered. She didn’t remember much after that only that she found herself falling back to sleep, having exhausted herself quickly.

* * *

Betty woke up to hushed voices arguing and an overwhelming sense of dread. It took her a few moments to get used to her surroundings before she dared to open her eyes. She was sprawled out on the lumpy and old couch that adorned the Jones’ trailer with a blanket someone had used to tuck her in. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Toni, Fangs, Sweet Pea, and Joaquin practically pacing through the trailer and bickering. It was Sweet Pea’s voice she could pick up first. “Look! She’s practically one of us through Jones anyway. No Serpent stands alone. Give me good reason why we shouldn’t go after her?!”

“I’ll give you three.” It was Toni’s turn to speak now. “Firstly, FP told us not to. Secondly, I don’t think Joaquin’s boyfriend can get his dad to back off if we get arrested for assault. Thirdly, you really think this is what Betty wants?” There was exasperation in her voice. Clearly they had been having this argument for a while.

“She’s right.” Betty spoke up, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room. “I-I don’t want anything to happen to her. I know she’s not a great person but she’s still my mom.” She moved to sit up. Fangs and Toni seemed to hesitate for a few moments before sharing a look and flanking either side of her on the couch. Now Betty could guess the two sides of the debate. Fangs and Toni against Joaquin and Sweet Pea.

“But she h-“ Joaquin started to speak but was cut off by a harsh look from Toni. “...Sorry.” An uneasy silence seemed to fall over them again. “I...uh...I called Kevin. He said he’d try to get here as soon as he could. Jughead said he wanted to cool or and get you one of those milkshakes you liked from Pop’s. I’m not entirely sure where FP went. He just said he had ‘business’ to attend to.” He filled in the blanks before Betty could even think to ask.

“Thank you.” True sincerity filled her voice. Betty hates how meek she sounded; quiet and cautious as if she were some sort of mouse. “I-I’m Sorry you had to see me like that. I’m not supposed to be that weak. I’m supposed to better...”

She had even finished speaking before she found herself in the middle of a Toni and Fangs sandwich. “Don’t you dare apologise, Cooper. None of this is your fault. Not one bit. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Toni murmured, watching Betty with a degree of concern as the blonde looked on the verge of another breakdown. “We’re not going to let her hurt you anymore.”

“...We?” Betty whispered, glancing around with furrowed eyebrows. She wasn’t a Serpent. Hell, she barely knew any of them. Why would they be so invested in keeping her safe? Why would anyone?

“No Serpent stands alone.” Toni murmured softly. “It’s one of our laws.”

“But I’m not a Ser-“ Betty found herself very quickly cut off.

Fangs shook his head, still hugging her. “Look, you’ve been dating Jughead for how long now? And FP vouched for you. His word goes a long way. You’re practically an honorary Serpent now.” He gave her a small smile. “FP said you could stay here whilst we try to sort things out. Though, my mom offered to let you stay with us for a while if it’s too crowded here.”

Sweet Pea snorted slightly at that. “That’s because Carla’s a Saint, Fogarty. I’m fairly certain she’d adopt all of us if we let her.”

A quiet laugh escaped Betty at that. Maybe she could be safe there. Maybe she could belong.

* * *

That night Betty found herself curled up in to Jughead’s side across a double bed. FP had insisted on taking the couch that night, saying Betty probably needed a proper bed after the day she’d had. Staring up at Jug, she hesitated before speaking softly. “...What happens now?”

“Now?” Jughead sighed, playing with her hair gently. “You stay here with us; with the Serpents. We’re going to keep you safe, Betty. I swear on my life...and my beanie.”

A small smile crept on to her face at that. “I love you, Jughead Jones.”

“I love you too, Betty Cooper. I’ll always protect you, okay? I won’t let anyone hurt you again.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Hate it? Comments are always appreciated! Or hmu at desert-lily on tumblr!


End file.
